Systems and methods for determining a location for a communication facility

ABSTRACT

A computer-based program performs calculations to analyze, vary, test, manage, and/or improve the performance of channels and/or frequencies in the communication spectrum. The program varies parameters of a point of communication, such as the location, transmission power, channel frequency, antenna height, and the like, alone or in combination, to measure, test, and/or evaluate which parameter changes increase the market coverage of a target market or area. In some scenarios, changes to one point of communication cause the regulations governing the broadcast relationship between one or more nearby points of communication to be violated. When this occurs, the program determines which of the parameters, such as the location, transmission power, channel and/or frequency, antenna height, and the like, alone or in combination, of the point of communication interfering with the increased market coverage scenario to vary to overcome the conflict with communications and/or regulatory law. In addition, the program can determine simultaneously which of the parameters of multiple points of communication to vary to overcome the conflict with communications and/or regulatory law. The program outputs multiple solutions with varying degrees of difficulty and varying amounts of performance improvement.

This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e)of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/785,337 filed on Mar. 23, 2006and titled COMMUNICATION SPECTRUM MAXIMIZATION SYSTEMS AND METHODS, theentirety of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to systems and methods for analyzing,varying, testing, managing, and/or improving transmission in thecommunication spectrum.

2. Description of the Related Art

Broadcasting includes the distribution of audio, video, and/or datasignals from a point of communication to one or more devices and fromthe one or more devices to the point of communication.

There has also been extensive growth in communications throughout theworld. Many separate entities are involved. Furthermore, these entitiesare typically assigned specific portions of the communication spectrumwithin defined regions.

For example, communication systems are often regulated by one or moregovernment organizations. In the United States, for instance, theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) licenses radio and televisionstations. Further, the FCC regulates the broadcast frequency, thetransmission power, the distance between stations, and the like so thatthe communication facilities provide improved service in servicecoverage areas for the benefit of the public. The FM (Federal AvionicsAdministration), in an example, determines the allowable tower height.The FCC confirms that the tower height has been accepted by the FAAbefore listing the tower in a tower database. The Antenna StructureRegistration (ASR) database is an example of an FCC tower database.

Population growth, changing demographics, and improvements inbroadcasting technologies, however, have created needs for new andimproved communication techniques. Unfortunately, making improvementsand modifications to existing communication systems is a highly complexprocess as improvements and modifications made to one point ofcommunication may encroach on the rights of other facilities or mayviolate governmental rules and regulations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Today there are thousands of points of communication in the UnitedStates, and many more worldwide. For example, embodiments of theinvention can be applied to points of communication that include, butare not limited to, analog transmissions or digital transmissions suchas radio, television, wireless, cellular, WI-FI, WiMAX, emergencycommunications systems, data transmissions, and the like. In theseembodiments, the points of communication can represent radio stations,television stations, wireless transmission points, cellular transmissionpoints, satellite transmitters, WI-FI transmission points, WiMAXtransmission points, emergency communications systems, data transmissionsystems, and the like.

Many of these points of communication can be altered to increase marketor area coverage. For example, it is possible to increase the coverageassociated with a particular point of communication by changing one ormore of the operational parameters. These operational parameters mayinclude by way of example, facility location, broadcast frequency,transmission power, station class, broadcast antenna height, or thelike.

In one embodiment of the invention, a computerized system tests,analyzes, varies, manages, decreases and/or increases one or morepotential operational parameters associated with a point ofcommunication to determine the likely improvement in desired coverage.Furthermore, one embodiment of the invention electronically ranks thepotential operational parameters based at least in part on user-definedobjectives. Such user defined objectives may include, but are notlimited to, coverage of target markets, target areas, geographic areas,populations, and/or demographics. Another embodiment evaluates thepotential operational parameters with respect to applicablecommunications and/or regulatory laws.

For example, an embodiment analyzes and/or varies possible transmissionlocations and/or orientations associated with allocated communicationspectrum. Another embodiment analyzes and/or varies possibletransmission locations and/or orientations associated with allocatedcommunication spectrum with respect to applicable communications and/orregulatory laws. The coverage attributes of the signal transmitted fromeach such location and/or orientation are then calculated and/oranalyzed applying user defined parameters to improve the potential ofthe communication spectrum.

One embodiment of the invention analyzes user-defined existingtransmission location options. Another embodiment analyzes hypotheticaltransmission location options by applying user-defined parameters. Oneembodiment maximizes the effective broadcast coverage by optimizing thenumber, placement, and/or power of “virtual” boosters, “virtual”antennas, “virtual” broadcast sites, and/or “virtual” translators withinthe user-defined target area. In other words, an embodiment of theinvention plots these virtual devices in places where they currently donot exist (and varies their characteristics such as: power, height,polarization, and/or frequency) in order to formulate the idealcombination of transmission components to reach the market or areacoverage goal.

One embodiment locates the “virtual” antenna(s) on existing structures,such as towers and buildings, with heights defined in an accessibledatabase. Another embodiment locates the “virtual” antenna(s) anywherein the coverage geography at height limits with respect to applicablecommunications and/or regulatory laws.

An embodiment analyzes and/or varies signal transmission attributesincluding, but not limited to, power and/or height, and/or antennaattributes including, but not limited to, orientation,directionalization, and/or polarization. Another embodiment analyzesand/or varies signal transmission attributes including, but not limitedto, power and/or height, and/or antenna attributes including, but notlimited to, orientation, directionalization, and/or polarization withrespect to applicable communications and/or regulatory laws. The variouscoverages associated with each of the modified transmission and/orantenna attributes are then calculated and/or analyzed applyinguser-defined parameters to improve the potential of the communicationspectrum. One embodiment varies the effected radiated power at differentheights and tests the results against user-defined parameters withrespect to applicable communications and/or regulatory laws. Anotherembodiment varies the orientation, directionalization, and/orpolarization of the transmitting antenna and matches that data againstspecific antenna patterns in order to maximize user-defined coverages oftarget markets, target areas, geographic areas, and/orpopulation/demographics.

Another embodiment analyzes channels in a user-defined target area bycombining a plurality of channels to meet user-defined coverageobjectives in such area. Another embodiment analyzes low signal levelareas of a station's field strength contour that can be improved withone or more booster(s), translator(s), and/or repeater(s). An embodimentanalyzes and/or varies alternative channels. Another embodiment analyzesand/or varies alternative channels with respect to applicablecommunications and/or regulatory laws. The coverage attributes of thesignal transmitted on each such channel are then calculated and/oranalyzed applying user defined parameters to improve the potential ofthe communication spectrum.

Another embodiment analyzes and/or varies alternative transmissionfrequencies. Another embodiment analyzes and/or varies alternativetransmission frequencies with respect to applicable communicationsand/or regulatory laws. The coverage attributes of the signaltransmitted on each such frequency are then calculated and/or analyzedapplying user defined parameters to improve the potential of thecommunication spectrum. One embodiment analyzes frequencies to determinespacing attributes relative to other frequency allocations. Anotherembodiment analyzes frequencies to determine the field strength contouroverlap/separation relative to frequency allocations.

An embodiment combines some or all of its output and external data inorder to rank and/or score each of the different spectrum alternativesto maximize user defined objectives. Each spectrum alternative can beassigned one or more numerical scores based at least in part onfinancial or other indications of feasibility.

In another embodiment, the performance score is based upon the increaseof the coverage of the targeted population and/or demographic. Inanother embodiment, the complexity score indicates how well eachalternative meets spacing requirements. In another embodiment, thecomplexity score indicates how well each alternative meets spacingrequirements with respect to applicable communications and/or regulatorylaws. In another embodiment, the efficiency score indicates thefeasibility of output scenarios from a financial perspective such asvalues of various cost factors for each output scenario, including butnot limited to, transmitter power, antenna type, FCC filing type, and/ortower height to show how well each alternative meets user-definedfinancial parameters and/or objectives. In another embodiment, the netpresent value calculates costs and values involved in meeting the marketor area coverage goal of the target station. In another embodiment, thecomposite score reflects a combination of the performance, complexity,efficiency, net present value and/or other scores in accordance withuser-defined criteria.

An embodiment analyzes partial market or area coverage station(s) thatcan be combined with a target station to produce enhanced coverage of auser-defined area.

Another embodiment receives data from a remote signal strengthmeasurement and reporting system. Areas or points can be set ingeographic locations in each market or area based upon user-definedcriteria. Each area and/or point could have topographical dataassociated with it along with location data. An embodiment analyzesand/or adjusts the parameters, including but not limited to,transmission power, antenna height, and/or antenna orientation until thecoverage characteristics meet the user-defined objectives.

Another embodiment analyzes the furthest reception points around theperimeter of a target market area using known obstructions, includingbut not limited to, buildings and/or topography, to model the locationfor a transmitting tower. Once the tower is located, various parameters,including but not limited to, transmission power, antenna height and/orantenna orientation can be applied to enhance coverage of the fieldstrength contour until it reaches the user-defined coverage objective.

For purposes of summarizing the invention, certain aspects, advantages,and novel features of the invention have been described herein. It is tobe understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achievedin accordance with any particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, theinvention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves oroptimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein withoutnecessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggestedherein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A general architecture that implements the various features of theinvention will now be described with reference to the drawings. Thedrawings and the associated descriptions are provided to illustrateembodiments of the invention and not to limit the scope of theinvention.

FIG. 1 illustrates a target station having a coverage area and apossible accommodation station, according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of an embodiment of the communication spectrumvariation process.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating the process of identifying stationswithin the target area, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating the process of specifying locationconsiderations, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a screen shot of an embodiment of a communication spectrumset-up screen, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates mutually exclusive tower locations, according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating the process of analyzing scenarios,according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating the process of determining whether ascenario is feasible, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates field strength contour projections used indetermining the field strength contour area coverage of a station andthe field strength contour population and/or demographics coverage of astation, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 10 is a graphical representation of radial for use in the heightabove average terrain (HAAT) calculation, according to an embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 11 is a graphical representation of a north-south radialtransformation for use in the HAAT calculation, according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 12 is a graphical representation of an east-west radialtransformation for use in the HAAT calculation, according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 13 is a graphical representation of a radial set transformation foruse in the HAAT calculation, according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 14 is a flow chart illustrating the financial feasibility/numericalscoring process, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 15 is a flow chart illustrating a process to identify a communityof license (COL), according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 16 is a flow chart illustrating a process to identify possiblechanges of the station channel and/or frequency, according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 17 is a flow chart illustrating a process to identify possiblechanges of the station class, according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 18 is a flow chart illustrating a process to evaluate variations inthe transmit power within a station class, according to an embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 19 is a flow chart illustrating a process to evaluate variations inthe antenna HAAT within a station class, according to an embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 20 is a flow chart illustrating a process to analyze accommodationstation scenarios, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 21 is a flow chart illustrating a process to identify possiblechanges of the accommodation station location, according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 22 is a flow chart illustrating a process to identify possiblechanges of the accommodation station location and class, according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 23 is a flow chart illustrating a process to identify possiblechanges of the accommodation station location, channel and/or frequencyaccording to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 24 is a flow chart illustrating a process to identify possiblechanges of the accommodation station class, channel and/or frequencyaccording to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 25 is a flow chart illustrating a process to identify possiblechanges of the accommodation station location, class, channel and/orfrequency, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 26 is a graphical representation of a single accommodation stationlocation change, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 27 is a graphical representation of multiple accommodation stationlocation changes, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 28 is a screen shot illustrating a list of possible targetstations, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 29 is a screen shot illustrating a list of scenarios for a targetstation, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 30 is a screen shot illustrating a list stations having anallocation relationship with the target station, according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 31 is a screen shot illustrating a list of possible accommodationstations, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 32 is a graphical representation of an extended search area,according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 33 is a flow chart illustrating a process to identify a replacementstation, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 34 is a schematic of a communication spectrum improvement system,according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In one example of the invention, a computer-based program performscalculations to analyze, vary, test, manage, and/or improve theperformance of channels and/or frequencies in the communicationspectrum. The program varies parameters of a point of communication,such as the location, transmission power, channel frequency, antennaheight, and the like, alone or in combination, to determine whichparameter changes improve the market or area coverage of a target marketor area. In some scenarios, changes to one point of communication causethe regulations governing the broadcast relationship between nearbypoints of communication to be violated. When this occurs, the programdetermines which of the parameters, such as the location, transmissionpower, channel, frequency, antenna height, and the like, alone or incombination, of the point of communication interfering with the improvedmarket or area coverage scenario to vary to overcome conflicts fromcommunications and/or regulatory laws.

Referring to FIG. 1, a market or area 102 receives broadcast coveragefrom a first point of communication 100. The market or area 102 can bedefined by a geographic area, population, or demographics, such as age,ethnicity, or the like. Embodiments described below relate to increasingthe market or area coverage of the first point of communication or thetarget station 100. In an embodiment of the invention, the program 3414varies parameters of the target station 100, such as the location,transmission power, channel, frequency, antenna height, and the like,alone or in combination, to determine which parameter changes improvethe broadcast coverage of the market or area 102 by the target station100.

In some scenarios, changes to the target station 100 cause theregulations governing the broadcast relationship between the targetstation 100 and a second point of communication or accommodation station104 to be violated. When this occurs, the program 3414 determines whichof the parameters, such as the location, transmission power, channel,frequency, antenna height, and the like, alone or in combination, of thesecond point of communication or accommodation station 104 to vary topossibly overcome the regulatory conflict between the target station 100and the accommodation station 104.

The embodiments described below relate to varying the communicationspectrum of FM radio. Thus, the target station 100 and the accommodationstation 104 represent FM radio stations in the embodiments describedbelow.

Other embodiments of the invention can be applied to other ranges of thecommunication spectrum, including, but not limited to analogtransmissions, or digital transmissions such as radio, television,wireless, cellular, WI-FI, WiMAX, emergency communications systems, datatransmissions and the like. In these embodiments, the points ofcommunication 100, 104 can represent radio stations, televisionstations, wireless transmission points, cellular transmission points,satellite transmitters, WI-FI transmission points, WiMAX transmissionpoints, emergency communications systems, data transmission systems, andthe like.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of an embodiment of a communication spectrummaximization process 200. The communication spectrum maximizationprocess 200 identifies the target radio stations 100 and possible targetstation scenarios that meet the market criteria. In an embodiment, themarket criteria are user-defined. In an embodiment, the target stationscenarios comprise changes to the target station 100. In anotherembodiment, the target station scenarios comprise changes to the targetstation 100 and one or more accommodation stations 104.

In an embodiment, the communication spectrum maximization process 200 isimplemented as a computer-based software application orfirmware/hardware based application and/or program. A communicationspectrum improvement system 3400 comprising a computer 3410, and memory3412 is described in detail in FIG. 34. In an embodiment, the memory3412 comprises a computer-based software application orfirmware/hardware based application and/or program 3414, which comprisesthe communication spectrum maximization process 200, and databaseinformation 3416. In an embodiment, the database information 3416comprises terrain databases, demographic databases, location databases,station databases, and the like.

In block 210, the program 3414 identifies target stations 100 that arelocated within the target market or area 102 and meet the marketcriteria. In an embodiment, the target market or area 102 and the marketcriteria are user-defined. For example, the user specifies that theprogram 3414 identify radio stations in the target market or area 102that presently broadcast to less than 50% of the target market or area102. FIG. 3 describes block 210 in more detail.

In block 212, the user specifies location related parameters for theprogram 3414 to consider. For example, the user specifies that theprogram 3414 consider changing the location of the target station 100identified in block 210 to both actual radio tower locations andhypothetical radio tower locations, which are within 50 miles of thetarget market or area 102. FIG. 4 describes block 212 in more detail.

For example, one embodiment of the invention electronically analyzesmultiple alternative locations for the target station 100, where thealternative locations are different from the location of the targetstation 100. In a further embodiment, the invention ranks thealternative locations based at least in part on the variance in one ormore user-defined objectives such as the coverage associated with thealternative locations.

The program 3414 identifies location scenarios for the target station100 in block 214. The location scenarios comprise, either alone or incombination, changes to the class, transmission power, channel and/orfrequency of the target station 100 at each location specified in block212. For example, the program 3414 calculates the target market coveragefor the radio station identified in block 210 that is relocated to eachof the actual and hypothetical tower locations within 50 miles of thetarget market or area 102. In addition, the program 3414 varies thechannel and/or frequency and/or class/transmission power at each of thelocations and calculates the target market coverage.

The program 3414 determines whether the location scenario is feasible orwhether the location scenario violates the broadcast coverageregulations between the target station 100 and another station.Conflicts can occur, for example, if the new location of the targetstation 100 is too close to another radio station, according to FCCRules. When conflicts occur, the program 3414 determines whether changesto at least one of the location, class, and channel of the conflicted oraccommodation station 104 alleviates the conflict. In an embodiment,changes to more than one accommodation station 104 can be cascaded ordaisy chained to provide a feasible scenario for the target station 100.

For example, an embodiment of the invention electronically analyzes oneor more alternative operational parameters associated with acommunication and electronically determines whether the alternativeoperational parameters are feasible.

Further, in block 214, the program 3414 scores the feasible locationscenarios. FIG. 7 describes block 214 in more detail.

In block 216, the program 3414 determines if location scenarios havebeen considered for the target stations 100 identified in block 210. Ifthere are additional stations 100, the program 3414 returns to block 214and identifies the location scenarios for the next target station 100.When the location scenarios for the identified target stations 100 havebeen analyzed, the program 3414 sorts the scored feasible stationscenarios in block 218.

The program 3414 outputs a sorted list of target stations 100 and targetstation scenarios in block 220. For example, the program 3414 outputs alist comprising a first radio station, a second radio station, and athird radio station. All three of the radio stations are within 50 milesof the target market area. The first radio station has the highestfeasibility score and increases its market coverage from below 50% to97% by relocating from its current tower to an existing tower. Thesecond radio station's feasibility score is less than the first radiostation and greater than the third radio station's feasibility score.The second radio station increases its market or area coverage frombelow 50% to 95% by relocating to a hypothetical tower and by changingits broadcast channel, while the third radio station increases itsmarket or area coverage from below 50% to 95% by relocating from itscurrent tower to a existing tower and relocating a fourth radio stationto another existing tower. The program 3414 ends in block 222.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating the process 210 of identifyingstations within the target market or area 102 that are possiblecandidates for the study, according to an embodiment of the invention.In block 310, the user specifies the target market or area 102. In anembodiment, the user defines the target market or area 102 as ageographic circle by specifying a point having latitude and longitudecoordinates and a radius. In another embodiment, the user specifies thetarget market or area 102 as a set of polygons, where each of thepolygons is defined by a set of vertices having latitude and longitudecoordinates.

In block 312, the user specifies terrain databases 3416. In anembodiment the databases are stored in the memory 3412. The program 3414uses the terrain databases 3416 to identify terrain informationassociated with the target market areas specified in block 310. Examplesof terrain databases 3416 are the US Arc-Second USGS (US GeologicalSurvey) Terrain Database comprising 3 arc-second data for the 48contiguous Untied States, Puerto Rico, and Hawaii; the Second WorldTerrain Database comprising 30 arc-second data for the world; the 3second USGS Alaska Terrain Database comprising 3 second data for Alaska;the 30 Second NGDC (National Geophysical Data Center) US Databasecomprising 30 arc-second NGDC data; the NED (National Elevation Dataset)3 Second US Database comprising 3 arc-second data for the Untied Statesthat was generated from the 30 meter National Elevation Dataset; the NED3 Second Alaska Database comprising 3 arc-second data for Alaska thatwas generated from the 30 meter National Elevation Dataset; the NED 30Meter Database comprising 30 meter National Elevation Dataset data forthe US; the NASA SR™ (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission) 1 SecondDatabase comprising 1 arc-second data for most of the world, whichprovides 1 arc-second resolution for the United States and 3 arc-secondresolution for most of the world; and the like.

In an embodiment, the program 3414 accesses one or more terraindatabases 3416. The program 3414 accesses the primary database to obtainthe elevation at a point. If the elevation at the specified point cannotbe located in a first database, additional databases can be accessed.

The program 3414 accesses demographic databases 3416, which arespecified in block 314, to determine the demographics within the targetmarket or area 102. In an embodiment, the databases are stored in thememory 3412. Examples of demographic databases 3416 are the 1990 USCensus, the 2000 US Census, the 1990 Puerto Rico Census, the 1996 CanadaCensus, and the like. In an embodiment, the program 3414 can access thetotal population from the demographic database 3416, or sub-categoriessuch as race, ethnicity, age, and the like.

The program 3414 accesses location databases 3416, which are specifiedin block 316, to determine the locations of existing points ofcommunication, such as stations, towers, antennas, and the like. In anembodiment, the databases are stored in the memory 3412. Examples oflocation databases 3416 are the Antenna Structure Registration (ASR)database, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)database, site management databases, such as the American Towerdatabase, the SBA Communications database, and the like.

Further, the program 3414 accesses station databases 3416, which arespecified in block 318. In an embodiment, the databases are stored inthe memory 3412. The station databases 3416 comprise the locations ofexisting points of communication. Examples of station databases are theConsolidated Database System for the FCC's Media Bureau (CDBS) database,the FCCInfo.com database maintained by Cavell, Mertz & Davis, Inc., andthe like.

In an embodiment, the program 3414 identifies radio stations within auser-specified distance from the target market or area 102. In block320, the user can optionally specify this distance from the targetmarket or area 102. For example, the program 3414 identifies the radiostations from the FCC database that are within 50 miles from the centerof the target market or area 102.

In another embodiment, the program 3414 identifies radio stations thatcover less than a user-specified percentage of the target market or area102. This percentage determines the level at which a station is nolonger considered a good candidate because it already covers most of thetarget market or area 102. In block 322, the user can optionally specifythis percentage. For example, if the percentage is set to 90%, then anystation that already covers at least 90% of the population and/ordemographics of the target market or area 102 is not considered. Inanother embodiment, the user can manually identify stations to beconsidered.

In block 324, the program 3414 identifies the radio stations within thetarget market or area 102 or within the specified distance from thetarget market or area 102 that meet the percentage of market coveragecriterion. In an embodiment, the program 3414 identifies the radiostations from the FCC database of radio stations. The process 210 endsin block 326.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating the process 212 of specifyinglocation considerations, according to an embodiment of the invention.The process 212 defines the set of locations that the program 3414analyzes for each of the candidate radio stations identified by theprocess 210. In block 410, the user can optionally select whether toconsider radio station locations or towers within a user-selecteddistance from the geographic center of the target market or area 102. Inan embodiment, towers comprise stations, repeaters, translators,antennas, self-supporting structures, guyed towers, building rooftoplocations, locations suitable for a broadcast antenna, and the like.

In block 412, the user can select whether to consider radio stationlocations or towers within a specified polygon set. This option uses auser-defined polygon set to define the boundaries of the geographicregion inside which towers are considered.

In block 414, the user can select whether to consider only the tallesttower in a cluster of towers. This option can be used in situationswhere towers that are clustered within a user-defined distance aregrouped together and considered as one tower in the analysis. Thelocation of the tallest tower in the cluster is used as the location forthe cluster of towers.

In block 416, the user can select whether to limit consideration tothose towers that are mutually exclusive with the existing facilitybeing considered and are within the target market area. For example, inthe FM radio embodiment, mutually exclusive towers are defined as thosetowers that are separated from the existing facility by no more thanapproximately the FCC Rules section 73.207 allocation distance plus anextended search area. In an embodiment, the extended search area istwice the maximum class 70 dBu field strength contour distance.

In block 418, the user can optionally select whether to considerexisting tower locations. This option considers actual tower locationsfound in the database of tower locations specified in block 316.

In block 420, the user can optionally select whether to considerhypothetical tower locations. One embodiment locates the hypothetical orvirtual antenna(s) on existing structures, such as buildings, withheights in an accessible database. Another embodiment locates thehypothetical or virtual antenna(s) anywhere in the coverage geography atheight limits with respect to applicable communications and/orregulatory laws. When the program 3414 considers hypothetical locations,the user has several hypothetical tower consideration options.

In block 422, the user specifies a polygon or a set of polygons thatdefine an area where the program 3414 considers hypothetical towers. Inblock 424, the user selects the grid spacing for the hypothetical towerarea. The program 3414 generates hypothetical towers on a grid atlocations inside the polygon boundary area. The user-specified gridspacing defines how far apart each hypothetical tower will be in thegrid.

In block 426, the user can optionally select to default to the AboveGround Level (AGL) tower height. Hypothetical towers will have theirabove ground tower height default to this value. For locations nearairports or other user-defined polygons, the program 3414 will limit thetower heights as required by communications and/or regulatory laws. Forexample, the program 3414 calculates the tower height for hypotheticaltowers near airports based on the FCC Rules section 17.7 glide sloperequirements.

In block 428, the user can optionally select to exclude hypotheticaltower locations within a user-defined distance from a user-defined area,such as a polygon. For example, the program 3414 will exclude possiblehypothetical tower locations from airports, National Parks, IndianReservations, lakes, and any other locations where towers are notpermitted or are highly impractical. The process 212 ends in block 430.

FIG. 5 is a screen shot of an embodiment of a communication spectrumset-up screen 500, according to an embodiment of the invention. Theset-up screen 500 comprises a market definition section 510, a terrainconfiguration section 512, and a census database section 514. The usercan choose whether to define the market or area 102 as a geographiccircle or a polygon set in the market definition section 510. Theterrain configuration section 512 indicates the terrain databases 3416,which the program 3414 uses. The census database section 514 indicatesthe census databases 3416 and any sub-categories, which the program 3414uses to calculate the population and/or demographics of the targetmarket or area 102.

The set-up screen 500 further comprises an options section 516. Theoptions section 516 comprises station options 518, tower options 520,and hypothetical tower options 522. In the example illustrated in FIG.5, the station options 518 permit the user to select characteristics ofstations to load from an FCC database of stations for inclusion in thestudy. The “load stations” option permits the user to enter the maximumdistance from the market or area 102 that will be searched for stationsto include in the study.

The “don't load” option permits the user to skip searching the databasefor stations to include in the study. Instead, user-defined stationsused in the study are loaded into the program 3414. The “load stationsthat cover less than a percentage” option permits the user to set thelevel at which a station is no longer considered a good candidatebecause it already covers the market. For example, if this option is setto 90%, then any station that already covers at least 90% of the definedmarket or area 102, on a population and/or demographics count basis,will not be examined.

The tower options 520 permit the user to select characteristics ofactual towers locations to include in the study. The “consider towerswithin a maximum distance from the market” option defines the maximumdistance from the market that a tower can be for it to be included inthe study. The “consider towers within a specified polygon set” optiondefines the boundaries of the geographic region inside which towerlocations are considered using a polygon set.

The “group towers” option groups towers that are closer together than adistance and considers the group as a single tower location in thestudy. The program 3414 uses the height and location of the tallesttower in the group. The “mutually exclusive” option limits considerationto those towers that are mutually exclusive with the existing facilitybeing considered. Mutually exclusive towers are towers that are withinthe market search area and are separated from the existing facility byno more than approximately an allocation distance plus an extendedsearch area distance. In an embodiment, the allocation distance is theFCC Rules section 73.207 allocation distance. The extended search areadistance corresponds to the class of the existing facility, and in anembodiment, the extended search area distance is twice the 70 dBu maxclass field strength contour distance.

The hypothetical tower options 522 permit the user to selectcharacteristics of hypothetical tower locations to include in the study.The “tower settings” options permit the user to enter grid spacing, tochoose to default to AGL tower height, to choose to exclude towers, andthe like. The “don't consider” option uses only real tower locations inthe study. The “consider both” option uses both real tower locations andhypothetical tower locations in the study. The “consider only” optionuses only hypothetical tower locations in the study.

The options section 516 further comprises additional functions. The“consider channel changes” option permits the program 3414 to evaluatechannel and/or frequency changes for the station at each location. The“consider signal/class downgrades” option permits the program 3414 tostudy changing the station being examined to a lower class. In anotherembodiment, the program 3414 studies changing the station being examinedto a higher class. Other options, such as “remove low implementationscoring scenarios” and “remove low population scoring scenarios” removescenarios from the study that have low implementation scores and low orno coverage of the market or area, respectively, from the study.

For example, one embodiment of the invention electronically analyzesmultiple alternative channels and/or frequencies for the target station100, wherein the alternative channels and/or frequencies are differentthan the channel and/or frequency of the target station 100. In afurther embodiment, the invention ranks the alternative channels and/orfrequencies based at least in part on the variance in one or moreuser-defined objectives such as the coverage associated with thealternative channels and/or frequencies.

The “limit move consideration” option permits the program 3414 toconsider locations that are within the maximum class 70 dBu fieldstrength contour of the community of license of the existing station. Ifselected, this option narrows the search to regions where the communityof license coverage is likely to be maintained at the new location ofthe station. If not selected, the program 3414 uses locations that arewithin the market radius plus the maximum class 60 dBu distance plus apadding amount. The “max class distance padding amount” option permitsthe user to define the padding amount. The “limit above ground towerheight” option allows the user to select tower height characteristics.When selected, the program 3414 uses the supplied maximum value fortowers where the calculated height is greater than the supplied value.When unselected, the program 3414 uses the height for the towers atwhich the maximum height above average terrain is attained.

FIG. 6 is a map 600 illustrating an area in which the program 3414considers new station locations for an existing point of communication612, according to an embodiment of the invention. A first area 630around the station 612 is defined by the location of the station 612 anda minimum separation radius 614. In this example, the minimum separationradius 614 is the FCC Rules section 73.207 minimum separation distancefor the station 612. Adding an extended search distance 616 to theminimum separation radius 614 defines a maximum regulatory relocationarea 632 around the station 612. In this example, the extended searchdistance 616 is approximately twice the 70 dBu maximum class fieldstrength contour distance.

In FIG. 6, a market area 626 is the area defined by a point 624 and aradius comprising a market radius 622, a user defined padding distance618, and the 60 dBu maximum class distance 620.

In an embodiment where the station locations are limited to mutuallyexclusive stations or towers, the program 3414 considers stations ortowers in a mutually exclusive area 610, which comprises the overlap ofthe market consideration area 626 of the target market 624 and themaximum regulatory relocation area 632 of the target station 612.

In an embodiment, the extended search distance 616 is related to theclass of the existing communication facility 612 under consideration andextends the allowable regulatory relocation distance of the existingstation 612 toward the market 626. In the example illustrated in FIG. 6,the extended search distance 616 is approximately twice the 70 dBumaximum class field strength contour distance. In another embodiment,the extended search distance is user-defined. In another embodiment, theextended search distance is defined by communications and/or regulatorylaws. FIG. 32 describes the extended search distance in further detail.

FIG. 32 is a graphic representation of an extended search distance 3210for broadcast radio, according to an embodiment of the invention. Theextended search distance 3210 provides an extended search area by takingadvantage of allowable regulatory rules. An existing station 3212 has a70 dBu field strength contour 3214, which covers its community oflicense 3216. For example, the FCC regulations specify that thebroadcast station 3212 provide a 70 dBμV/m field strength over both 85%of the area and 85% of the population of the community of license 3216.A proposed new location 3218 for the existing station 3212 has a 70 dBufield strength contour 3220, which also covers the community of license3216. In an embodiment, the extended search distance 3210 is thedistance between the location of the existing broadcast station 3212 andthe proposed new location 3218, while maintaining a minimum fieldstrength (dBμV/m) level over the existing station's community of license3216 at the proposed new location.

Broadcast regulations allow the broadcast station 3212 to relocate toanother location 3218 as long as the minimum field strength ismaintained over the community of license 3216. In FIG. 32, the 70 dBμV/mfield strength contour 3214 of the radio station at its existinglocation 3212 and the 70 dBμV/m field strength contour 3220 of the radiostation at the proposed location 3218 both provide the minimum fieldstrength requirements for the community of license 3216, and thelocations 3212, 3218 are separated by the extended search distance 3210.In an embodiment, this can be accomplished by submitting a minormodification application, such as a construction permit, to a regulatorybody, such as the FCC. The new location 3218 is generally in thedirection of the target market or area and the extended search distance3210 increases the allowable regulatory relocation distance of thebroadcast station 3212 towards the target market 102 or area ofinterest.

In other words, the extended search distance 3210 extends the allowabledistance that a broadcast station 3212 can move to cover the targetmarket or area 102. In an embodiment that uses station locations thatare mutually exclusive to the existing facility being considered, themutually exclusive station locations are station locations separated byno more than the FCC Rules Section 73.207 allocation distance plus theadditional extended search distance 3210. In an embodiment, the program3414 defaults to the extended search distance 3210 of twice the 70 dBumaximum class field strength contour distance.

In another embodiment for determining which station locations are to beconsidered in the study, when the locations are not limited to thoselikely to serve the existing community of license, the program 3414considers stations within the market radius+max class 60 dBudistance+padding distance of the market center. In an embodiment, thepadding amount is user-defined.

Once the program 3414 identifies the stations to include in the studyand the location consideration information, the program 3414 analyzesscenarios for each of the identified stations. FIG. 7 is a flow chartillustrating the process 214 of analyzing the scenarios, according to anembodiment of the invention. In an embodiment, analyzing comprisesgenerating analyzing, and testing. In block 710, the program 3414identifies a possible new location for the target station 100. In block712, the program 3414 determines if the scenario of the target station100 at the new location is feasible. FIG. 8 describes the process ofdetermining whether the scenario is feasible.

If the scenario is feasible, the program 3414 scores the scenario inblock 716. FIG. 14 describes the scoring process. In block 718, theprogram 3414 identifies a new community of license (COL), if needed.FIG. 15 describes the process of identifying a new community of license.In block 720, the program 3414 identifies a replacement station, ifneeded. FIG. 33 describes the process of identifying a replacementstation.

In block 722, the program 3414 evaluates scenarios for the identifiedstation at the new location and at different channels and/orfrequencies. FIG. 16 describes the process of changing the channelsand/or frequencies of the station in the location scenario. In block724, the program 3414 evaluates scenarios for the identified station atthe new location and at different classes. FIG. 17 describes the processof changing the class of the station in the location scenario.

If the scenario in block 712 is not feasible, the program 3414 analyzesaccommodation scenarios in block 714. FIG. 20 describes the process ofevaluating the accommodation scenarios for the infeasible locationscenario.

After analyzing accommodation scenarios and/or evaluating the changes inlocation, class, channel, and/or frequencies, the program 3414, in block726, determines if there are additional locations to study. If there areadditional locations, the program 3414 returns to block 710, where thesteps 710-724 are repeated for the identified station at anotherlocation. The program 3414 repeats steps 710-724 until the locationsthat have been identified for the station have been evaluated. When theidentified locations for the station have been evaluated, the process214 ends in block 728.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating a process 800 of determining whetherthe scenario is feasible, according to an embodiment of the invention.In an embodiment, a scenario is feasible when it satisfies the FCC Rulessections 73.207 and 73.215. In FIG. 8, the station pairs comprise theexisting station at a new location and/or a new class and/or a newchannel and/or frequency, and another station. In block 810, the program3414 determines if the station pair is separated by at least a minimumdistance. In an embodiment, the FCC Rules section 73.207 defines theminimum distance. If the station pair is farther apart than the minimumdistance, the scenario is feasible, and the process 800 moves to block820. If the station pair does not meet the minimum distance rule, theprocess 800 moves to block 812.

In block 812, the program 3414 determines whether at least one of thestations in the station pair is a short-spaced station. In anembodiment, the FCC Rules section 73.215 defines a short-spaced station.If neither of the stations in the pair of stations is a short-spacedstation, the scenario is not feasible, and the process 800 moves toblock 822.

If one of the stations of the station pair is a short spaced station,the program 3414 determines if the other station of the station pair isa short-spaced station in block 814. If the other station of the stationpair is not a short-spaced station, the process 800 moves to block 818.

In block 818, the program 3414 determines if the station pair meets thefield strength contour protection requirements where one station isshort-spaced and the other station is regular. In an embodiment, the FCCRules section 73.215 defines the field strength contour protectionrequirements for a short-spaced station paired with a regular stationthat is categorized under FCC Rules section 73.207. If the pair ofstations does not meet the field strength contour protectionrequirements, the scenario is not feasible, and the process 800 moves toblock 822. If the pair of stations meets the field strength contourprotection requirements, the scenario is feasible, and the process 800moves to block 820.

If both stations in the station pair are short-spaced stations, theprocess 800 moves to block 816 where the program 3414 determines if theshort-spaced station pair meets field strength contour protectionrequirements. In an embodiment, the FCC Rules section 73.215 defines thefield strength contour protection requirements for a short-spaced pairof stations. If the station pair does not meet the field strengthcontour protection requirements, the scenario is not feasible, and theprocess 800 moves to block 822. If the station pair meets the fieldstrength contour protection requirements, the scenario is feasible, andthe process 800 moves to block 820.

After determining the feasibility of the scenario in block 820 or theinfeasibility of the scenario in block 822, the process moves to block824. In block 824, the process 800 determines if there are additionalstations with which to pair the identified station. If there areadditional stations, the process 800 moves to block 810, where the steps810-822 are repeated with the additional station. The steps 810-824 arerepeated for each station pair. When there are no other stations withwhich to pair the identified station in block 824, the process 800 endsin block 826.

The program 3414 uses several calculation techniques, such as, forexample, the grand circle distance calculation, the 360 degree radialcontour projection, the AMSL (above mean sea level) calculation, and theradial transformation, in the feasibility determination. The grandcircle distance calculation calculates the distance between twostations. In an embodiment, the grand circle distance between the twostations is compared with the spacing requirements for stationsaccording to the FCC Rules sections 73.207 and 73.215, respectively. Inthe grand circle distance calculation, (lat1, lon1) is the geographicallocation of station 1 in a coordinate system, such as NAD27 (NorthAmerican Datum) or NAD83, and (lat2, lon2) is the geographical locationof station 2 in the same coordinate system. ρ represents the radius ofthe earth. The program 3414 first converts the latitude and longitudecoordinates to spherical coordinates, then to Cartesian coordinates.Next, the program 3414 calculates the separation angle between the pairof Cartesian coordinates and then calculates the distance between thepair of stations along the curvature of the earth based on theseparation angle. The grand circle calculation procedure is outlinedbelow:

Step 1: Convert Latitude and Longitude to Spherical Coordinates

slat1=π(90−lat1)/180

slon1=πlon1/180

slat2=π(90−lat2)/180

slon2=πlon2/180

Step 2: Convert Spherical Coordinates to Cartesian Coordinates

x1=ρ sin(slat1)cos(slon1)

y1=ρ sin(slat1)sin(slon1)

z1=ρ cos(slat1)

x2=ρ sin(slat2)cos(slon2)

y2=ρ sin(slat2)sin(slon2)

z2=ρ cos(slat2)

Step 3: Calculate the Separation Angle Between the Pairs of CartesianCoordinates

φ=cos−1(x1x2+y1y2+z1z2)/ρ2

Step 4: Calculate the Grand Circle Distance Based on the SeparationAngle

d=φρ

FIG. 9 illustrates a portion of a 360 degree radial contour projection900 used in determining the field strength contour area coverage of astation and the field strength contour population coverage of a station,according to an embodiment of the invention. In an embodiment, theprogram 3414 uses the field strength contour projections to determinethe field strength contour area coverage of a station and the fieldstrength contour population coverage of a station under the FCC Rulessection 73.213.

The contour can be defined by as many radials as are necessary toaccurately define the area. FIG. 9 illustrates a portion of a contour922 and is used to illustrate area coverage calculations. The contour922 comprises 5 radials: a north radial 910, radial A 912 having acontour length of L_(A) and a bearing A, radial B 914 having a contourlength of L_(B) and a bearing B, a fourth radial 916, and a fifth radial918. Point X 924, having a distance L_(X) from a tower 920 and a bearingβ, lies between the radial A 910 and the radial B 912. X is within thecontour if:

L _(X) ≦FL _(A)+(1−F)L _(B) where F=B−β/B−A.

To determine the field strength contour coverage area, the market isdivided into user-defined tiles. In an embodiment, the tiles can be anysize and geometric shape. A tile is considered to be within the contourif a point on the tile is within the contour. In an embodiment, thepoint is a user-defined point. In another embodiment, the point is thecenter of the tile. The contour area covered is equal to the sum of theareas of the tiles within the contour.

To determine the field strength contour population coverage, program3414 uses the population centroids or points in census data, where eachcentroid or point is associated with a population and/or demographicscount. A population and/or demographics is considered to be within thecontour if the centroid is within the contour. The field strengthcontour population covered is equal to the sum of the population and/ordemographics of the centroids within the contour.

In an embodiment, evenly-spaced points along evenly-spaced radials on amap are used to determine average elevation above mean sea level (AMSL)within a radio station's coverage area. This in turn determines theheight above average terrain (HAAT), which greatly affects a station'srange and potential for interference with other stations.

An embodiment of the invention does not use projections to preserveheading and does not require numerical search or approximations to findthe points of interest along a radial. An embodiment rotates a standardradial from east to west and from north to south, and reducescomputational effort for finding distances. In one embodiment, the earthis approximated by a spherical model. The standard radial(s) arecorrected using the radius of the earth at the point of interest andthen rotated. In an embodiment, the radius at the equator was used forthe standard radials.

In another embodiment, an elliptical model is used to apply the rotationfrom the standard radial set. These embodiments provide accuracy withoutincreased computational effort. Therefore, methods of calculatingradials, according to an embodiment of the invention, are moreefficient, since desired accuracy can be achieved with lesscomputational effort.

The AMSL (above mean sea level) calculation calculates the averageelevation in meters above sea level for a number of points. Examples ofa number of points include, but are not limited to a tower location, aset of radials, or 50 points along a single radial. The height above theaverage terrain (HAAT) is defined as “antenna height above averageterrain”. In an embodiment, the average meters above sea level valuesare pre-processed for a given market or area. In another embodiment, theaverage meters above sea level values are calculated as a tower locationis added to the database.

In another embodiment, the radials used to calculate the elevation abovemean sea level and the height above average terrain, as required by theFCC, are calculated by transforming a set of radials centered on theequator and the Greenwich meridian to a set of radials at any towerlocation. The program 3414 can calculate points for any number ofradials with any number of sample points. For example, the FCC Rulessection 73.215 requires 50 sample points from 3 km to 16 km along 8equally spaced radials extending from the center point or stationlocation with one radial due north. The points calculated lie along thesurface of the spherical approximation of the earth and are equidistantin terms of the surface length between two points along any radial from3 km to 16 km.

Given the set of radial points centered at (x, y, z)=(R, 0, 0), theradial set can be rotated to any center point, such as a stationlocation, using the latitude as a rotation north from the equator andlongitude as a rotation clockwise as seen from due north, around theaxis extending through the north and south poles of the spherical modelof the earth. In an embodiment, the standard set of radial points isstored in a file for use at any arbitrary center point, such as astation location, through a rotation of the standard stored set(s).

FIG. 10 is a graphical representation of a radial 1010 to a point 1012for use in the height above average terrain calculation, according to anembodiment of the invention. The radial 1010 is centered on the equatorand the Greenwich meridian and the point 1012 has Cartesian coordinates(x, y, z) corresponding to latitude and longitude coordinates (lat,lon). A station is located at a point 1016 on the surface of the earth1014 at (lat_(c), lon_(c)) corresponding to Cartesian coordinates(x_(c), y_(c), z_(c)). The earth 1014 is approximated as a sphere inthis embodiment. In another embodiment, the program 3414 approximatesthe earth 1014 as an ellipsoid.

FIG. 11 is a graphical representation of a north-south radialtransformation for use in the height above average terrain calculation,according to an embodiment of the invention. As illustrated in FIG. 11,the radial 1010 is rotated north from the equator by an angle ofapproximately lat_(c) plus or minus an amount Δ, which preserves theradial length as it is rotated, to create a radial 1110 at a point 1112having Cartesian coordinates (x′, y′, z′) corresponding to latitude andlongitude coordinates (lat′, lon′).

FIG. 12 is a graphical representation of an east-west radialtransformation for use in the height above average terrain calculation,according to an embodiment of the invention. As illustrated in FIG. 12,the radial 1110 is rotated clockwise as seen from due north, around theaxis extending through the north and south poles of the spherical modelof the earth by an angle of approximately lone plus or minus an amountΔ, which preserves the radial length as it is rotated, to create aradial 1210. The radial 1210 extends from a point 1212 having Cartesiancoordinates (x″, y″, z″) corresponding to latitude and longitudecoordinates (lat″, lon″) to the point 1016 having Cartesian coordinates(x_(c), y_(c), z_(c)) corresponding to latitude and longitudecoordinates (lat_(c), lon_(c)).

FIG. 13 is a graphical representation of a radial set transformation foruse in the height above average terrain calculation, according to anembodiment of the invention. FIG. 13 illustrates a radial set 1310centered at the equator and the Greenwich meridian rotated to any centerpoint 1312, i.e., tower location at (lat_(c), lon_(c)) corresponding toCartesian coordinates (x_(c), y_(c), z_(c)). The program 3414 rotatesthe radial set 1310 by lat_(c)+Δ from the equator and lon_(c)±Δ as arotation clockwise as seen from due north, around the axis extendingthrough the north and south poles of the spherical model of the earth1014 to create a new radial set 1314 centered at the point 1312.

The rotations preserve distance and bearing of the radial set. Thecenter of the radials rotates from (0, 0) corresponding to the equatorand the Greenwich meridian to (lat_(c), lon_(c)). Rotation of theindividual radial points corrects the rotations to preserve the correctdistance along the surface of the earth 1014 by adding or subtracting Δ.For example, 3-16 km radials centered at (0, 0) transform to 3-16 kmradials centered at (lat_(c), lon_(c)) after the rotation.

Many trigonometric transformations are possible to accomplish therotations. In an embodiment, the first rotation is through the verticalplane and the second rotation is through the horizontal plane. Inanother embodiment, the first rotation is though the horizontal planeand the second rotation is through the vertical plane. In yet anotherembodiment, the rotation is a single three-dimensional rotation.Computationally rotating the radials centered at (0, 0) is morecomputationally efficient than computing radials centered at (lat_(c),lon_(c)).

One embodiment of the invention analyzes multiple alternativeoperational parameters associated with a communications broadcast andcalculates numerical scores for the alternative operational parameters.In an additional embodiment, the invention ranks the alternativeoperational parameters based at least in part on the numerical scores.FIG. 14 is a flow chart 1400 illustrating a financialfeasibility/numerical scoring process 1400, according to an embodimentof the invention.

The financial feasibility/numerical scoring process 1400 calculates afeasibility score for the scenario applied to the identified station.The feasibility score represents a multi-dimensional parameter scorebased at least in part on the estimated increase in financial valuecreated by each broadcast scenario. These parameters can include but arenot limited to a change in the value of target station 100,accommodation stations 104, and replacement stations, where thestations' financial value is based at least in part on changes topopulation and/or demographics coverage and/or other user-definedcriteria, the cost of capital, interim operating costs of the targetstation and other stations, and the probability of success. For example,a scenario that comprises a major change FCC filing results in higherfinancial costs. Likewise, a scenario that comprises a major change FCCfiling for the target station 100, the accommodation station 104, or areplacement station decreases the probability of success. In anotherexample, more accommodation stations 104 in the broadcast scenario alsoreduce the probability of success. Further, other parameters used incalculating the net present value can include but are not limited to thebargaining power of accommodation stations, implementation costs, suchas, for example, legal costs, engineering costs, and the like.

In block 1410, the program 3414 determines a change in financial valuedriven by changes in the population and/or demographics covered. In anembodiment, the population and/or demographics coverage loss is thedifference between existing population and/or demographics coverage andnew population and/or demographics coverage after station modification.

In block 1412, the program 3414 determines construction costs. In anembodiment, the construction costs depend on equipment, height of thecurrent station or tower, the number of new stations sharing the tower,the cost of new construction, the cost of a station extension, and thelike.

In block 1414, the program 3414 determines the share in the value of thedeal, and in block 1416, the program 3414 determines the return oninvestment. In an embodiment, the return on investment is the time valueof money. In an embodiment, the return on investment is a user-definedparameter. In block 1418, the program 3414 determines the probability ofsuccess. In an embodiment, the probability of success is a user-definedvalue.

In block 1420, the program 3414 determines a financial feasibilityscore. In an embodiment, the financial feasibility score is a netpresent value of the target station 100 having new scenario parameterand any costs associated with possible accommodation stations 104. Theprocess 1400 ends in block 1422.

In an embodiment, for the feasible scenario k, the net present value ofthe target station 100, given the new station parameters and anyaccommodation stations 104 is:

${NPV}_{k} = \frac{\left( {\prod\limits_{j}\; P_{j,k}^{Success}} \right)\left( {V_{k} - {\sum\limits_{j}\; C_{j,k}} - C_{k}^{Extract}} \right)}{\left( {1 + r} \right)^{n}}$

where

C _(j,k) =C _(j,k) ^(Pops) +C _(j,k) ^(NewTX)

is the cost attributed to station j for scenario k and comprises thecost due to a change in population and/or demographics coverage forstation j and the cost of a new transmission facility for station j inscenario k,

$C_{k}^{Extract} = {\sum\limits_{j}\; {s_{j}^{Extract}\left( {V_{k} - {\sum\limits_{i}\; C_{i,k}}} \right)}}$

is the cost of negotiations, lost to accommodation stations, forexample, in scenario k,

$C_{j,k}^{Pops} = \left\{ \begin{matrix}{\alpha_{j}\Delta_{j,k}^{Pops}} & {{{if}\mspace{14mu} \Delta_{j,k}^{Pops}} < 0} \\0 & {otherwise}\end{matrix} \right.$

is the cost due to the change in population and/or demographics coveragefor station j and represents the difference between existing coverageand new coverage after station modification, and

Δ_(j,k) ^(Pops)=Pops(F ^(50,50)(ERP _(j) ,HAAT _(j) ,FS),x _(j) ,y_(j))−Pops(F ^(50,50)(ERP _(j) ^(New) ,HAAT _(j) ^(New) ,FS),x _(j)^(New) ,y _(j) ^(New))

is the change in covered population and/or demographics for station j inscenario k.

Construction costs, represented by

$C_{j,k}^{NewTX} = \left\{ \begin{matrix}{C^{Antenna} + \frac{C^{Extend}}{m_{x_{j,k}^{New},y_{j,k}^{New}}}} & {{{{if}\mspace{14mu} H_{x_{j,k}^{New},y_{j,k}^{New}}^{New}} - H_{x_{j,k}^{New},y_{j,k}^{New}}^{Old}} < \delta} \\{C^{Antenna} + \frac{C^{Construct}}{m_{x_{j,k}^{New},y_{j,k}^{New}}}} & {otherwise}\end{matrix} \right.$

depend on equipment, height of current tower, the number of new stationssharing the tower, and the like, where cost of extension is:

C _(j,k) ^(Extend) =FC ^(Extend) +VC ^(Extend)(H _(x) _(j,k) _(New)_(,y) _(j,k) _(New) ^(Old))

and cost of new construction is:

C _(j,k) ^(Construct) =FC ^(Construct) +VC ^(Construct) H _(x) _(j,k)_(New) _(,y) _(j,k) _(New) ^(New)

where

-   C_(j,k) is the cost attributed to station j for scenario k,-   C_(j,k) ^(NewTX) is the cost of new transmission facility for    station j for scenario k,-   C_(j,k) ^(Pops) is the cost due to change in population and/or    demographics coverage for station j,-   C_(k) ^(Extract) is the cost of negotiation (lost to accommodations    station(s) from NPV of project) in scenario k,-   C_(antenna) is the cost of an antenna (not including tower),-   FC^(Construct) is the fixed cost to construct a new tower    (regardless of height),-   VC^(Construct) is the variable cost (per meter) to construct a new    tower,-   FC^(Extend) is the fixed cost to extend an existing tower    (regardless of height),-   VC^(Extend) is the variable cost (per meter) to extend an existing    tower,-   Class_(j) is the class of radio station j,-   ERP_(j) is the transmission power for station j, ERP_(j) ^(New) is    the new transmission power for station in scenario k,-   FS is the field strength in dBu defining a field strength contour    using F^(50,50),-   HAAT_(j) is the height above average terrain for station j,-   HAAT_(j,k) ^(New) is the new height above average terrain for    station j for scenario k,-   H_(x,y) is the height of existing tower at location (x,y),-   H^(New) _(x,y,k) is the new height of tower (extension of existing    or new construction) at location (x,y) in scenario k,-   m_(x,y,k) is the number of accommodation stations being relocated to    location (x,y) for a given accommodation scenario k,-   N_(k) is the number of months to complete scenario k, e.g. 18 months    for projects by application; 36 months for projects with    rule-making.-   NPV_(k) is the new present value for scenario k,-   P_(j,k) ^(Success) is the probability of success for change to    station j in scenario k,-   r is the return on investment, i.e. “cost of money”,-   S_(k) ^(Extract) is the share of base value for target station j,    lost to negotiation in scenario k,-   V_(j) is the base value of station j,-   X_(j),Y_(j)| is the current geographic location of station j, given    as (x,y) coordinates,-   x_(j) ^(New),y_(j) ^(New) is the new geographic location of station    j, given as (x,y) coordinates, α_(j) is the marginal value per    population and/or demographics covered for station j,-   δ is the parameter reflecting permissible extension of existing    tower facilities, e.g. δ=25% would allow extension of a 200 m tower    to 250 m without new construction,-   Δ_(j,k) ^(Pops) is the change in covered population and/or    demographics for station j in scenario k,-   NPV_(k) is the new present value of accommodation scenario k,    |F^(50,50)ERP_(j),HAAT_(j),FS| is the evaluation of geographic    locations along the field strength contour defined by FCC's F(50,50)    field strength contour, for radio station j, and    Pop_(j,k)|F^(50,50)ERP_(j),HAAT_(j),FS_(i),s_(j),y_(j)| is the    evaluation of population and/or demographics using the F(50,50)    field strength contour at location (x_(j),y_(j)) and a field    strength of FS dBu, e.g. 60 dBu for station j in scenario k.

Other cost components can include but are not limited to changes inoperating expenses, interim station operating costs, filing costs, suchas FCC filing fees, legal fees, and environmental studies, projectdevelopment costs, structural analysis, risk assessment, consultingfees, the time value of money for the accommodation stations, financialrisk costs for the accommodation stations, and the like.

A variety of models can be used to calculate the financial feasibilityvalue for the target station 100, including but not limited to netpresent value models such as linear, polynomial, exponential,logarithmic, Cobb-Douglas, constant elasticity of substitution, power,or others. The cost components either can be estimated or itemizedcosts. Changes to the value added to the target station 100 can includevalues beyond the base value, including but not limited to format changevalues, portfolio values, and economies of scale and scope.

Other scoring embodiments can implement additional or different scoringmethods. Scenario scoring can be ranked numerically, alphabetically, orother user-defined rankings. In one embodiment, the program 3414calculates a population improvement score. The population improvementscore is a score based on the percentage of population and/ordemographics coverage improvement. In an embodiment, the populationimprovement score is [scenario coverage−existing coverage]×10.

For example, if the existing station's broadcasts cover 21% of thepopulation and/or demographics of the market (existing configuration)and the station broadcasts to 89% of the population and/or demographicsin the market with the changes identified in the scenario (scenarioconfiguration), the population improvement score is (89−21)×10=680. Inan embodiment, scenarios that produce less than 90% of the totalcoverage of the original station configuration are further penalized bymultiplying the population improvement score by a factor of less thanone.

In another embodiment, the program 3414 calculates an implementationscore. The implementation score indicates how well a particular scenarioperforms with respect to the FCC allocation process. In one embodiment,the implementation score is a number between 0 and 100, where animplementation score of 0 represents a scenario that the program 3414determines to be unobtainable and an implementation score of 100represents a scenario where the regulations concerning the spacingbetween stations are met.

In an embodiment, the highest implementation score is 100. Thisindicates a scenario where the situations meet the spacing requirements.In an embodiment, the FCC Rules comprise the spacing requirements. Foreach station around the target station 100 that does not meet thespacing requirement with the target station 100, the program 3414deducts points from the implementations score. In another embodiment,for situations where the spacing requirements are not met and the fieldstrength contour overlaps are 10 km, 9 km, 7 km, and 6 km on the directline for co-channel stations, first adjacent stations, second adjacentstations, third adjacent stations and intermediate frequencies, such asthe 53^(rd) and 54^(th) adjacent stations, respectively, then theprogram 3414 subtracts additional points from the implementation score.

In a further embodiment, if the scenario involves a class downgrade,then the program 3414 deducts points from the implementation score.Finally, in yet another embodiment, if the target station 100 under thescenario configuration does not cover the community of license pointwith a 70 dBu signal, then the program 3414 deducts points from theimplementation score. The implementation score is 0 if there are morethan a user-defined quantity of stations where the spacing requirementsare not met or if there is more than one station where the FCC Rulessection 73.215 table of minimum distance separations for short spacingsare not met, according to other embodiments of the invention.

In a further embodiment, the program 3414 calculates a composite score.The composite score combines the implementation score and the populationimprovement score. In an embodiment, the composite score is[(10×implementation score)+population improvement score]/2.

A community of license in broadcasting, for example, is the communitythat a radio station or television station is officially licensed orallocated to serve by the applicable broadcast regulatory body. Stationscover the community of license with their broadcast signal, while thetransmitter itself can be some distance away.

In the FM radio example, a station's 70 dBu field strength contour isthe area that the station's broadcast signal reaches with at least asignal strength of approximately 70 dBu. In the FM radio example, aradio station's 70 dBu field strength contour typically is required tocover approximately 85% or more of the area and approximately 85% ormore of the population and/or demographics of the station's community oflicense.

If the new station scenario creates a situation where a station's fieldstrength contour as measured from the new location is less than therequirements over the population and area of the existing COL, theprogram 3414 identifies new COL candidates for the scenario. The program3414 uses the set of station scenario coordinates, the effectiveradiated power (ERP) of the scenario transmitter, the above mean sealevel (AMSL) height of the scenario transmitter, the height aboveaverage terrain, and the like to determine new community of licensecandidates.

FIG. 15 is a flow chart illustrating a process 1500 to identify acommunity of license (COL), according to an embodiment of the invention.In block 1510, the program 3414 determines the latitude and thelongitude of the scenario station. In block 1512, the program 3414determines the antenna height, such as the above mean sea level heightor the height above average terrain, for example, of the scenariostation. In block 1514, the program 3414 determines the power, such asthe effective radiated power, for example, of the scenario station.

For example, an embodiment of the invention electronically analyzes oneor more operational parameters for a communications broadcast andelectronically determines whether the alternative operational parametersare associated with a need to obtain a new community. A furtherembodiment of the invention then identifies one or more communitycandidates that can accommodate the alternative operational parameters.

In block 1516, the program 3414 determines the population and/ordemographics threshold of the communities to consider. In an embodiment,the user can define a minimum population and/or demographics percentageand/or a minimum area percentage of the candidates community of licensecovered by the signal.

In block 1518, the program 3414 uses the above mean sea level elevation,height above average terrain, and effective radiated power to calculatea 70 dBu field strength contour at the latitude and longitude coordinatepoint. In an embodiment, the program 3414 calculates the 70 dBu fieldstrength contour of the station scenario using an omni-directionalantenna pattern.

The program 3414 determines whether the community of license fieldstrength of the new station scenario is less than a threshold. In anembodiment, the threshold is the requirement that the 70 dBu fieldstrength contour cover at least 85% of both the area and the populationof the community of license. If the requirements are met, the process1500 moves to block 1526, where a new community of license is not neededfor the scenario.

If the requirements are not met, the process 1500 moves to block 1520,where the program 3414 generates a list of communities within the fieldstrength signal contour. In an embodiment, the field strength signalcontour is the 70 dBu field strength contour. In another embodiment, theprogram 3414 generates a list of communities that are within auser-specified percentage of the FCC required field strength contour ofthe station. In another embodiment, the program 3414 generates a list ofcommunities that are at least partially covered by a user-definedstation field strength contour of the new station scenario. In anembodiment, communities will be determined using data polygons from theU.S. Census Bureau TIGER (Topologically Integrated Geographic Encodingand Referencing) system.

For each new community of license candidate identified in the fieldstrength signal contour, the program 3414 identifies the populationand/or demographics and percentage of the population and/or demographicscovered for each community. The population and/or demographics is basedon data in a census database 3414. In an embodiment, the census database3416 is a US Census database. The program 3414 further identifies thegeographic area of the community of license candidate polygon, the sizeof the area and the percentage of the area covered by the field strengthsignal contour.

In block 1522, the program 3414 determines the services licensed to eachof the communities listed in block 1520. In an embodiment, the program3414 determines the number of services that are licensed to eachcommunity by matching the community name string from the polygon datawith the community names contained in the appropriate FCC database 3416,such as, for example, the FCC AM and FM databases. In an embodiment,station data records that cannot be matched to the community name in thepolygon data by string comparison are excluded.

In an embodiment, the program 3414 uses the community polygon'sgeographic centroid to determine if the community is part of an urbanarea. If the centroid is located within an urban area as defined by anurban area database 3416, such as the TIGER Urban Area database, forexample, then the community is considered as part of that urban area.

In block 1524, the program 3414 sorts the list of community of licensecandidates. In an embodiment, the community of license candidates areranked and listed in ascending order of number of licensed services, andsecondarily ranked and listed in descending order of population and/ordemographics for those community of license candidates with the samenumber of services. In this embodiment, the top of the list comprisescommunity of license candidates with no licensed services, such as no AMor FM stations, for example, ranked in descending order of populationand/or demographics. A new community of license for the new stationscenario is chosen based on the number of licensed services and thepopulation and/or demographics in block 1528.

An example of a report listing community of license candidates is shownbelow. This report lists five community of license candidates, andindicates the population and area of the community, population and areacovered by the station scenario, the percent of the population and areacovered by the station scenario, the number of licensed services in thecommunity, and the urban area associated with the community.

Community of License Search Latitude: 42-40-12 N Longitude: 091-54-44 WERP: 100.0 kW AMSL Height: 926.129 m Existing Facility COL: Oelwein,Iowa Population Database: 2000 US Census (SF1) Primary Terrain: 30Second US Database

Cities where less than 85.0% are covered are not included.Cities with a population less than 3000 are not included.

Marion, Iowa: Population: 26,667 Covered: 26,663 Percentage: 100.0 Area(sq. km): 45.25 Covered: 43.75 Percentage: 96.7 Number of Services: 0Urban Area: Cedar Rapids, Iowa Evansdale, Iowa: Population: 4,475Covered: 4,475 Percentage: 100.0 Area (sq. km): 11.25 Covered: 11.25Percentage: 100.0 Number of Services: 0 Urban Area: Waterloo, IowaMonticello, Iowa: Population: 3,664 Covered: 3,607 Percentage: 98.4 Area(sq. km): 17.50 Covered: 11.00 Percentage: 62.9 Number of Services: 0Urban Area: Monticello, Iowa Oelwein, Iowa: Population: 6,692 Covered:6,692 Percentage: 100.0 Area (sq. km): 13.75 Covered: 13.75 Percentage:100.0 Number of Services: 1 Urban Area: Oelwein, Iowa Services:KOEL(950) Hiawatha, Iowa: Population: 6,483 Covered: 6,483 Percentage:100.0 Area (sq. km): 11.00 Covered: 11.00 Percentage: 100.0 Number ofServices: 1 Urban Area: Cedar Rapids, Iowa Services: KWOF-FM(206)

If the target station 100 having a community of license is relocatedsuch that the target station 100 in the new location scenario does notcover the community of license, the program 3414 identifies candidatereplacement stations. The replacement station replaces the targetstation 100 in the community of license. For business reasons, the ownerof the target station 100 may desire a replacement station that covers auser-defined target market or area 102. In other embodiments,regulations can require a replacement station to continue service to thecommunity. For example, the FCC requires a new community of licensestation to replace the target station 100, if the target station 100 isthe only station licensed service to the community of license and it isrelocated outside of the community of license.

In an embodiment, replacement stations comprise FM and AM radiostations. In an embodiment, the program 3414 identifies existingstations that cover the community of license required by the FCC orspecified by a user-defined target market or area 102 and evaluatesthese stations as possible replacement stations for the target station100. In another embodiment, the program 3414 identifies and evaluatesnew station scenarios that cover the community of license required bythe FCC or specified by a user-defined target market or area 102 toidentify replacement station candidates. Replacement stations may bedetermined independently in the same process as a new scenario or aspart of a target station scenario.

FIG. 33 is a flow chart illustrating a process 3300 to identify areplacement station, according to an embodiment of the invention. Inblock 3310, the program 3414 identifies the community of license needinga replacement station. In block 3312, the program 3414 identifies astation whose broadcast coverage area covers the community of license.

For example, one embodiment of the invention analyzes one or morealternative operational parameters of a point of communication anddetermines whether the alternative operational parameters are associatedwith a need to obtain a replacement station. A further embodimentidentifies one or more points of communication that could function asthe replacement station.

In block 3314, the program 3414 determines if the station's coverage isless than a threshold. In an embodiment, the threshold is that the 70dBu field strength contour cover at least 85% of both the area and thepopulation and/or demographics of the community of license. If thethreshold is not met, the process 3300 moves to block 3316, where thestation does not qualify as a replacement station.

If the threshold is met, the process 3300 moves to block 3318, where thestation qualifies as a possible replacement station. In block 3320, theprogram 3414 checks for additional stations.

If there are additional stations, the process moves to block 3312, whereblocks 3312-3318 are repeated. The program 3414 repeats steps 3312-3318until the replacement station candidates have been evaluated. When thereplacement station candidates have been evaluated, the process moves toblock 3322, where a replacement station is chosen. The process ends inblock 3324. In another embodiment, the program 3414 identifiesreplacement station candidates in the same way as a new scenario, asdescribed in FIG. 2.

FIG. 16 is a flow chart illustrating a process 1600 to identify possiblescenarios comprising changes of the station channel and/or frequency,according to an embodiment of the invention. In block 1610, the program3414 analyzes a station scenario where the station channel and/orfrequency have changed.

In an embodiment, the program 3414 changes the channel of the scenariostation by at least one of ±1, ±2, ±3 ±53, and ±54 broadcast channels.In another embodiment, the program 3414 changes the broadcast frequencyof the scenario station by at least one of ±10.6 MHz and ±10.8 MHz.

In block 1612, the program 3414 determines if the scenario of thestation at the new location and new channel and/or frequency isfeasible. In an embodiment, the program 3414 performs a feasibilityanalysis on each channel change and/or frequency change to determine ifit is allowable under FCC and other applicable regulations and laws.FIG. 8 describes the feasibility process.

If the scenario is feasible, the program 3414 scores the scenario inblock 1616. FIG. 14 describes the scoring process. In block 1618, theprogram 3414 identifies a new community of license (COL) if needed. FIG.15 describes the process of identifying a new community of license.

If the scenario in block 1612 is not feasible, the program 3414 analyzesaccommodation scenarios in block 1614. FIG. 20 describes the process ofanalyzing accommodation scenarios.

After analyzing accommodation scenarios and/or evaluating the channeland/or frequency change scenario, the program 3414, in block 1620,determines if there are additional channel and/or frequency changes toevaluate. If there are additional channel and/or frequency changes, theprogram 3414 returns to block 1610, where the steps 1610-1620 arerepeated for the identified station at another channel and/or frequency.The program 3414 repeats steps 1610-1620 until the channel and/orfrequency changes for the station have been evaluated. When the channeland/or frequency changes for the station have been evaluated, theprocess 1600 ends in block 1622.

FIG. 17 is a flow chart illustrating a process to identify possiblescenarios comprising changes of the station class, according to anembodiment of the invention. In block 1710, the program 3414 analyzes astation scenario where the station class has changed. In the FM radioexample, possible station classes are A, B, B1, C0, C1, C2, C3, and thelike.

For example, in one embodiment, a computerized method improves theoperation of the target station 100 by electronically analyzing multiplealternative classes for the target station 100, wherein the alternativeclasses are different than the class of the target station 100. Inanother embodiment, the computerized method ranks the alternativeclasses based at least in part on the variance in one or moreuser-defined objectives such as the coverage associated with thealternative classes.

In block 1712, the program 3414 determines if the scenario of thestation at the new location and new class is feasible. In an embodiment,the program 3414 performs a feasibility analysis on each class change todetermine if it is allowable under FCC and other applicable regulationsand laws. FIG. 8 describes the feasibility process.

If the scenario is feasible, the program 3414 scores the scenario inblock 1716. The scoring process is described in FIG. 14. In block 1718,the program 3414 identifies a new Community of License (COL) if needed.FIG. 15 describes the process of identifying a new community of license.

In block 1720, the program 3414 evaluates variations in the transmitpower within each class as allowed by FCC regulations. FIG. 18 describesthe process of evaluating variations in the transmit power. In block1722, the program 3414 evaluates variations in the antenna height aboveaverage terrain (HAAT) within each class as allowed by FCC regulations.FIG. 19 describes the process of evaluating variations in the antennaheight above average terrain.

If the scenario in block 1712 is not feasible, the program 3414 analyzesaccommodation scenarios in block 1714. FIG. 20 describes the process ofanalyzing accommodation scenarios.

After analyzing accommodation scenarios and/or evaluating the classchange, transmit power variations, and/or height above average terrainvariations, the program 3414, in block 1724, determines if there areadditional class changes to evaluate. If there are additional classchanges, the program 3414 returns to block 1710, where the steps1710-1722 are repeated for the identified station at another class,transmit power and/or height above average terrain. The program 3414repeats steps 1710-1722 until the identified class, transmit powerand/or height above average terrain changes for the station have beenevaluated. When the identified class, transmit power and/or height aboveaverage terrain changes for the station have been evaluated, the process1700 ends in block 1726.

FIG. 18 is a flow chart illustrating a process 1800 to evaluatevariations in the transmit power within a station class, according to anembodiment of the invention. In block 1810, the program 3414 varies thetransmit power of the scenario station.

In block 1812, the program 3414 determines if the scenario of thestation at the new transmit power is feasible. In an embodiment, theprogram 3414 varies the transmit power within each class as allowed byapplicable communications and/or regulatory laws. In an embodiment, theprogram 3414 performs a feasibility analysis on each variation in thetransmit power to determine if it is allowable under applicablecommunications and/or regulatory laws. FIG. 8 describes the feasibilityprocess.

If the scenario is feasible, the program 3414 scores the scenario inblock 1816. FIG. 14 describes the scoring process. In block 1818, theprogram 3414 identifies a new community of license if needed. FIG. 15describes the process of identifying a new community of license.

If the scenario in block 1812 is not feasible, the program 3414 analyzesaccommodation scenarios in block 1814. FIG. 20 describes the process ofanalyzing accommodation scenarios 1814.

After analyzing accommodation scenarios, the program 3414, in block1820, determines if there are additional variations in the transmitpower to evaluate. If there are additional variations, the program 3414returns to block 1810, where the steps 1810-1820 are repeated for theidentified station at another transmit frequency. The program 3414repeats steps 1810-1820 until the identified transmit power variationsfor the station have been evaluated. When the identified transmit powervariations for the station have been evaluated, the process 1800 ends inblock 1822.

FIG. 19 is a flow chart illustrating a process to evaluate variations inthe antenna HAAT within a station class, according to an embodiment ofthe invention. In block 1910, the program 3414 varies the antenna heightabove average terrain of the scenario station.

In block 1912, the program 3414 determines if the scenario of thestation at the new antenna height above average terrain is feasible. Inan embodiment, the program 3414 varies the antenna height above averageterrain within each class as allowed by applicable communications and/orregulatory laws. In an embodiment, the program 3414 performs afeasibility analysis on each variation in the antenna height aboveaverage terrain to determine if it is allowable under applicablecommunications and/or regulatory laws. The feasibility process isdescribed in FIG. 8.

If the scenario is feasible, the program 3414 scores the scenario inblock 1916. The scoring process is described in FIG. 14. In block 1918,the program 3414 identifies a new community of license if needed. FIG.15 describes the process of identifying a new community of license.

If the scenario in block 1912 is not feasible, the program 3414 analyzesaccommodation scenarios in block 1914. FIG. 20 describes the process ofanalyzing accommodation scenarios.

After analyzing accommodation scenarios, the program 3414, in block1920, determines if there are additional variations in the antennaheight above average terrain to evaluate. If there are additionalvariations, the program 3414 returns to block 1910, where the steps1910-1920 are repeated for the identified station at another antennaheight above average terrain. The program 3414 repeats steps 1910-1920until the identified antenna height above average terrain variations forthe station have been evaluated. When the identified antenna heightabove average terrain variations for the station have been evaluated,the process 1900 ends in block 1922.

Referring to FIG. 7, the program 3414 determines if the station scenariois feasible in block 712, and if the station scenario does not meet theapplicable communications and/or regulatory laws spacing requirementsbetween field strength contours of stations, the scenario is notfeasible. Because it may be possible to make changes to one or more ofthe stations in conflict with the scenario station to resolve theconflict, the process moves to block 714, where the program 3414evaluates accommodation scenarios. FIG. 20 is a flow chart illustratinga process 2000 to analyze accommodation station scenarios, according toan embodiment of the invention. The process 2000 analyzes accommodationscenarios to generate accommodation solutions for infeasible targetstation scenarios. The process 2000 further scores, sorts, and presentsscored accommodation scenarios.

For example, one embodiment of the invention electronically or via dataanalysis analyzes one or more alternative operational parametersassociated with a communication broadcast and electronically or via dataanalysis determines whether the alternative operational parametersconflict with at least one other communication broadcast. The embodimentcan further determine whether the operational parameters of the othercommunication broadcast can be varied to remove the conflict.

In an embodiment, the process 2000 considers simple and complexaccommodation scenarios. In an embodiment, simple accommodationscenarios comprise changing one of the location, channel, or class ofthe accommodation station. In an embodiment, complex accommodationscenarios comprise varying, in any combination, the location, channel,frequency, or class of the accommodation station 104. In an embodiment,the changes are based at least in part on the FCC Rules section 73.215.

In another embodiment, if the accommodation scenario is not feasiblebecause it creates secondary conflicts with other stations, the process2000 evaluates additional accommodation scenarios to resolve thesecondary conflict. In an embodiment, the process 2000 can evaluateaccommodation scenarios to resolve conflicts with other accommodationscenarios. The process 2000 can continue until the program 3414 hasexhausted all possible locations having all possible channel and/orfrequency changes and all possible class changes for each accommodationstation 104 that is identified as having a conflict with the previouslydetermined accommodation station 104. By considering secondaryaccommodation station scenarios to resolve conflicts with primaryaccommodation scenarios, where the primary accommodation station 104conflicts with the target station, the program 3414 cascades or daisychains accommodation station scenarios. In an embodiment, the userdetermines the maximum acceptable number of cascading accommodationstations 104.

In block 2010, the program 3414 identifies an accommodation station 104.Accommodation stations 104 are the stations conflicting with the stationscenario. In block 2012, the program 3414 evaluates changing thelocation of the accommodation station 104. FIG. 21 describes the processof evaluating location changes for the accommodation station 104. Inblock 2014, the program 3414 evaluates changing the channel of theaccommodation station 104. FIG. 16 describes the process of evaluatingchannel and/or frequency changes for the accommodation station 104. Inblock 2016, the program 3414 evaluates changing the class of theaccommodation station 104. FIG. 17 describes the process of classchanges for the accommodation station 104.

In block 2018, the program 3414 evaluates changing the location andclass of the accommodation station 104. FIG. 22 describes the process ofevaluating location and class changes for the accommodation station 104.In block 2020, the program 3414 evaluates changing the location,channel, and/or frequency of the accommodation station 104. FIG. 23describes the process of evaluating location, channel, and/or frequencychanges for the accommodation station 104. In block 2022, the program3414 evaluates changing the class, channel, and/or frequency of theaccommodation station 104. FIG. 24 describes the process of evaluatingclass, channel, and/or frequency changes for the accommodation station104. In block 2024, the program 3414 evaluates changing the location,class, channel, and/or frequency of the accommodation station 104. FIG.25 describes the process of evaluating location, class, channel, and/orfrequency changes for the accommodation station 104.

After evaluating changes in location, class, channel, and/or frequency,alone or in combination, for the accommodation station 104, the program3414, in block 2026, determines if there are additional accommodationstations 104 to study. If there are additional accommodation stations104, the program 3414 returns to block 2010, where the steps 2010-2024are repeated for another accommodation station 104. The program 3414repeats steps 2010-2024 until the accommodation stations 104 that havebeen identified for the target station 100 have been evaluated. When theidentified accommodation stations 104 for the target station 100 havebeen evaluated, the process 2000 ends in block 2028.

FIG. 21 is a flow chart illustrating a process 2100 to evaluate possiblechanges of the accommodation station location, according to anembodiment of the invention. In block 2110, the program 3414 identifiesa new location for the accommodation station 104. In block 2112, theprogram 3414 determines if the accommodation station scenario isfeasible. FIG. 8 describes the process of determining whether thescenario is feasible.

If the scenario is feasible, the program 3414 scores the scenario inblock 2116. FIG. 14 describes the scoring process. In block 2118, theprogram 3414 identifies a new community of license for the accommodationstation 104, if needed. FIG. 15 describes the process of identifying anew community of license.

In block 2120, the program 3414 identifies a replacement station ifneeded. FIG. 33 describes the process of identifying a replacementstation. An accommodation station 104 may need to have part or all ofits previous coverage area replaced by a replacement station. In otherembodiments, regulations can require a replacement station to continueservice to the community. For example, the FCC requires a new communityof license station if the accommodation station 104 is the only stationlicensed to provide service to the community of license and it isrelocated outside of the community of license. In further embodiments,for business reasons, the owner of the accommodation station 104 maydesire a replacement station that covers a user-defined target market orarea. In an embodiment, replacement stations comprise FM and/or AM radiostations.

If the scenario in block 2112 is not feasible, the program 3414 analyzesaccommodation scenarios in block 2114. FIG. 20 describes the process ofanalyzing accommodation scenarios.

After evaluating the change in the accommodation station location, theprogram 3414, in block 2122, determines if there are additionallocations to study. If there are additional locations, the program 3414returns to block 2110, where the steps 2110-2120 are repeated for theidentified accommodation station 104 at another location. The program3414 repeats steps 2110-2120 until the locations that have beenidentified for the accommodation station 104 have been evaluated. Whenthe identified locations for the accommodation station 104 have beenevaluated, the process 2100 ends in block 2124.

FIG. 22 is a flow chart illustrating a process 2200 to evaluate changesof the accommodation station location and class, according to anembodiment of the invention. In block 2210, the program 3414 identifiesa new accommodation station location. In block 2212, the program 3414evaluates class changes for the accommodation station at the newlocation. FIG. 17 describes the process of evaluating class changes.

In block 2214, the program 3414 determines if there are additionallocations. If there are more locations at which to evaluate theaccommodation station 104, the process 2200 moves to block 2210, wherethe steps 2210-2214 are repeated for the accommodation station 104 atanother location. The program 3414 repeats steps 2210-2214 until theidentified locations have been evaluated. When the identified locationsfor the accommodation station 104 have been evaluated, the process 2200ends in block 2216.

FIG. 23 is a flow chart illustrating a process 2300 to evaluate changesof the accommodation station location, channel and/or frequency,according to an embodiment of the invention. In block 2310, the program3414 identifies a new accommodation station location. In block 2312, theprogram 3414 evaluates channel and/or frequency changes for theaccommodation station 104 at the new location. FIG. 16 describes theprocess of evaluating channel and/or frequency changes.

In block 2314, the program 3414 determines if there are additionallocations. If there are more locations at which to evaluate theaccommodation station 104, the process 2300 moves to block 2310, wherethe steps 2310-2314 are repeated for the accommodation station 104 atanother location. The program 3414 repeats steps 2310-2314 until thelocations have been evaluated. When the identified locations for theaccommodation station 104 have been evaluated, the process 2300 ends inblock 2316.

FIG. 24 is a flow chart illustrating a process 2400 to evaluate changesof the accommodation station class, channel, and/or frequency, accordingto an embodiment of the invention. In block 2410, the program 3414identifies a new accommodation station channel and/or frequency. Inblock 2412, the program 3414 evaluates class changes for theaccommodation station 104 having the new channel and/or frequency. FIG.17 describes the process of evaluating class changes.

In block 2414, the program 3414 determines if there are additionalchannel and/or frequency changes. If there are more channels and/orfrequencies at which to evaluate the accommodation station 104, theprocess 2200 moves to block 2410, where the steps 2410-2414 are repeatedfor the accommodation station 104 at another channel and/or frequency.The program 3414 repeats steps 2410-2414 until the identified channeland/or frequency changes have been evaluated. When the identifiedchannel and/or frequency changes for the accommodation station 104 havebeen evaluated, the process 2400 ends in block 2416.

FIG. 25 is a flow chart illustrating a process to evaluate changes ofthe accommodation station location, class, channel, and/or frequency,according to an embodiment of the invention. In block 2510, the program3414 identifies a new accommodation station location. In block 2512, theprogram 3414 evaluates class, channel, and/or frequency changes for theaccommodation station 104 at the new location. FIG. 24 describes theprocess of evaluating class, channel, and/or frequency changes.

In block 2514, the program 3414 determines if there are additionallocations. If there are more locations at which to evaluate theaccommodation station 104, the process 2500 moves to block 2510, wherethe steps 2510-2514 are repeated for the accommodation station 104 atanother location. The program 3414 repeats steps 2510-2514 until theidentified locations have been evaluated. When the identified locationsfor the accommodation station 104 have been evaluated, the process 2500ends in block 2516.

To facilitate the search for a new location for the accommodationstation 104, the search can be restricted to areas that are more likelyto produce results efficiently. In an embodiment, the program 3414considers locations within a user-defined area of arbitrary shape andsize surrounding the accommodation station 104. In another embodiment,the search area can be divided into any user-defined polygon or set ofpolygons.

In yet another embodiment, the program 3414 considers locations that areno farther than a user-defined maximum distance from the accommodationstation 104. In this embodiment, the search forms a portion of a circlearound the accommodation station 104.

The search area in any of the above search embodiments can be furtherdivided into sectors of feasibility as cones or as polygons and each ofthese cones or polygons is searched for new potential locations for theaccommodation station 104. The number of cones is user-defined. Thesearch within each cone terminates when a user-specified distance isreached, or when a new violation of the regulations is encountered. Inthe FM radio example, the search distance from the accommodation station104 terminates when the FCC Rules sections 73.207 and 73.215 areviolated. In other words, the spacing requirements between the possibleaccommodation station 104 and yet another station are not met.

FIG. 26 is a graphical representation of a single accommodation stationlocation change illustrating possible new locations for an accommodationstation 2610. As illustrated in FIG. 26, the accommodation station 2610conflicts with a target station 2612. In order to create a feasiblescenario for the target station 2612, the program 3414 evaluates theaccommodation station 2610 at various new locations to determine ifmoving the accommodation station 2610 to a new location resolves theconflict with the target station 2612.

The program 3414 determines which locations to search by determining thebearing 2614 of the accommodation station 2610 from the target station2612. Next, the program 3414 determines a boundary 2616 passing throughthe accommodation station 2610 and perpendicular to the bearing 2614. Inan embodiment, the user specifies a radius of distance d 2618 from theaccommodation station 2610 and the program 3414 searches an area 2620defined by the radius d 2618 from the accommodation station and theboundary 2616 for station locations. The program 3414 considers stationlocations, as specified in FIG. 4, for example, within the area 2618. Inan embodiment, station locations comprise the locations of real,hypothetical, and mutually exclusive towers, repeaters, translators,antennas, self-supporting structures, guide towers, building rooftoplocations, locations suitable for a broadcast antenna, and the like.

In an embodiment, the program 3414 searches for stations along theradius d 2616 until the station location becomes infeasible with respectto other stations or until the program 3414 reaches the distance d. Theprogram 3414 saves the feasible stations as possible accommodationstation locations.

To accommodate a scenario target station 100, in some embodiments, it ispossible that more than one accommodation station 104 be relocated tocomply with applicable communications and/or regulatory laws. In oneembodiment, the program 3414 can simultaneously relocate the stations inparallel, or in another embodiment, the program 3414 can relocate thestations sequentially. In another embodiment, any combination ofparallel and sequential moves can be applied to accommodate a targetstation 100 and one or more accommodation stations 104.

FIG. 27 is a graphical representation of multiple accommodation stationlocation changes, according to an embodiment of the invention. Asillustrated in FIG. 27, the program 3414 has cascaded two accommodationstations. A first accommodation station 2710 (Station 2) conflicts witha target station 2712. By moving the accommodation station 2710 to a newlocation 2714, the interference between the accommodation station 2710(Station 2) and the target station 2712 is resolved, but the targetscenario is not feasible due to a conflict between the accommodationstation 2710 (Station 2) and a second accommodation station 2716(Station 3). The program 3414 searches for a new location for theaccommodation station 2716 within an area 2718.

FIG. 28 is a screen shot illustrating a table of 2800 possible targetstations 100, according to an embodiment of the invention. The table hasone entry for each station 100 that was studied for the defined marketor area 102. Each row of the table 2800 shows the best scenario for eachof the existing stations 100 that the program 3414 evaluated. In thisexample, the table 2800 comprises a call column 2810, a class column2812, a city column 2814, an in market population column 2816, apercentage of the market increase column 2818, a total percentage of themarket column 2820, and a composite score column 2822. The call column2810 displays the call letters of the existing facility and the classcolumn 2812 displays the class of the existing facility. The city column2814 displays the community of license and the state for the facility.

The in market population column 2816 displays the total populationand/or demographics within the market that is covered by the bestscenario. The percentage of the market increase column 2818 displays theincrease of market coverage between the best scenario and the existingfacility as a percentage. The total percentage of the market column 2820displays the amount of the market that is covered by the best scenarioas a percentage of population and/or demographics. The composite scorecolumn displays the composite score of the best scenario for thestation. The composite score is a combination of the implementationscore, based on applicable communications and/or regulatory laws, andthe population improvement score, based on market coverage improvement.

FIG. 29 is a screen shot illustrating a table of scenarios 2900 for thetarget station 100, according to an embodiment of the invention. Thetitle bar area of the table 2900 displays the call letters, channel, andclass of the existing facility. In this example, the table shows 16scenarios that the program 3414 evaluated for station KKHQ-FM, which isthe first target station 100 listed in FIG. 28. The table comprises anumber column 2910, which is used for reference, a channel column 2912,which displays the channel number for a given scenario, and a classcolumn 2914, which displays the class for the given scenario.

The table 2900 further comprises the community of license field strengthcolumn 2916, the tower column 2918, and the overlaps column 2920. Thecommunity of license field strength column 2916 displays the fieldstrength in dBu at the community of license coordinates given thescenario's parameters. The tower column 2918 displays the differencebetween the actual tower height listed in the database 3416, such as,for example, the ASR database or the FM/TV database, and the height usedfor calculating the scenario. A negative number indicates the towerheight is less than the scenario height. The overlaps column 2920displays the number of field strength contour overlaps in the scenario,or in other words, the number of accommodation stations 104.

The table 2900 further comprises an in market population column 2922, anexisting facility percentage column 2924, a scenario percentage column2926, and a difference percentage column 2928. The in market populationcolumn 2922 displays the total population and/or demographics coverageof the scenario in the market. The existing facility percentage column2924 displays the existing facility percentage of the market coverage,the scenario percentage column 2926 displays the scenario percentage ofmarket coverage, and the difference percentage column 2928 displays thedifference between the scenario and existing facility market coverages.

The table 2900 further comprises an existing facility population column2930, which displays the total population and/or demographics coverageof the existing facility, a scenario population column 2932, whichdisplays the total population and/or demographics coverage of thescenario facility, and a difference population column 2934, whichdisplays the difference between the scenario coverage and the existingfacility coverage. The table 2900 further comprises an implementationscore column 2936, a population score column 2938, and composite scorecolumn 2940.

FIG. 30 is a screen shot illustrating an allocation table 3000 listingallocation study information for the specific scenario, according to anembodiment of the invention. The title bar of table 300 comprises thecall letters, original channel and class, and scenario number. In thisexample, the table 3000 displays the allocation study for KKHQ-FMscenario 14, which is the first scenario listed in table 2900. Each rowin the allocation table 3000 contains a station with which the scenariostation configuration has an allocation relationship. A text box 3010 atthe bottom of the screen shot shows a summary of the scenarioconfiguration and changes made to the existing facility in the scenario.

The table 3000 comprises a call column 3012, which displays the callletters of the station, a channel column 3014, which displays thestation channel number, and a community of license column 3016, whichdisplays the community of license and state for the station.

The table 3000 further comprises an azimuth column 3018, which displaysthe azimuth from the reference station in degrees, and a distance column3020 which displays the distance between the stations. Column 3022displays the spacing margin for the separation and channel/classrelationship between the two stations. This is the difference betweenthe required separation and the actual separation. If it is negative,then the configuration fails to meet the required spacing. In anembodiment, the spacing margin is displayed in km and is based on FCCRules. In this example, the negative spacing margin value in row 1corresponds to the one overlap for station KKHQ-FM scenario 14, asdisplayed in table 2900, row 1, column 2920.

The table 3000 further comprises an in contour column 3024, and an outcontour column 3026. The in contour column 3024 displays the direct linedistance between the protected field strength contour of the referencestation and the interfering field strength contour of the station in thetable. If it is less than zero, it indicates that the station in thetable is causing field strength contour overlap to the referencestation. In an embodiment, this value is not calculated if the spacingrequirement is met. The out contour column 3026 displays the direct linedistance between the interfering field strength contour of the referencestation and the protected field strength contour of the station in thetable. If it is less than zero, it indicates that the reference stationis causing field strength contour overlap to the station in the table.In an embodiment, this value is not calculated if the spacingrequirement is met.

FIG. 31 is a screen shot illustrating a table of scenarios 3100 fortarget station KXXI, according to an embodiment of the invention. Thecandidate station for reengineering is station KXXI near Albuquerque, N.Mex. As shown in the table 3100, the program 3414 identified 28 targetscenarios for KXXI. Of the 28 scenario, 12 are not viable because theywould result in a reduction in population and/or demographics covered bythe target station. Of the remaining 16 scenarios, 5 of them, scenarionumbers 5, 7, 24, 21, and 20, do not have any identified conflicts.Therefore, these scenarios need only be scored.

The other 11 scenarios have one or two conflicts with other stations.The program 3414 evaluates possible changes to the conflicted oraccommodation stations 104 in order to make the 11 conflicted scenariosfeasible for target station KXXI.

In scenario 4, for example, the program 3414 moves station KXXI to a newtower location without changing the channel, the frequency or the classof the original station (FIG. 7). Next, the program 3414 evaluates thefeasibility of scenario 4 (FIG. 8) and determines that moving thelocation of KXXI results in, conflicts with two stations, KZRR, a classC station on channel 231, and KKOB-FM, a class C station on channel 227.The new location of KXXI can potentially be made feasible by changingthe accommodation stations' channel, frequency, class, or location.

The program 3414 next evaluates potential accommodation scenarios forKZRR and KKOB-FM (FIG. 20). In a first accommodation scenario, theprogram 3414 changes the class of KZRR and KKOB-FM to class C3,evaluates the feasibility of the accommodation scenario, and determinesthat the accommodation class changes make scenario 4 feasible.

In a second accommodation scenario, the program 3414 changes the channelof KZRR to 233 to remove the conflict between KXXI and KZRR. The program3414 evaluates the accommodation scenario and determines that it is nota feasible accommodation because changing the channel of KZRR createsnew conflicts between KZRR and other stations in the area. However, itmay be yet possible to cascade additional accommodation changes toresolve the conflict between KZRR and the other stations in the area.

In a third accommodation scenario, the program 3414 changes the locationof KZRR and KKOB-FM, evaluates the feasibility of the accommodationscenario, and determines that the accommodation location changes makethe new location of KXXI in scenario 4 feasible.

In an embodiment, a computer-based software application orfirmware/hardware based application and/or program performs calculationsto analyze, manage, and/or vary location, power, class, antenna height,format channel and/or frequency of points of communication in thecommunication spectrum. FIG. 34 is a schematic of a communicationspectrum improvement system 3400, according to an embodiment of theinvention. The communication spectrum improvement system 3400 comprisesthe computer 3410, and memory 3412 comprising the communication spectrumprogram 3414 and database information 3416. In an embodiment, thedatabase information 3416 comprises at least one of a terrain database,a demographic database, a location database, a station database, an FCCdatabase, a tower database, and the like. The communication spectrumimprovement system 3400 interfaces with users through user input/outputdevices. In an embodiment, the user enters information through akeyboard 3418 and receives output from the communication spectrumimprovement system 3400 through a monitor 3418 and/or a printer 3420. Inother embodiments, other user input/output devices can be used

The application or program 3414 executes on one or more computers 3410and comprises program 3414 logic. In an embodiment, the application 3414executes on a Windows based platform. In an embodiment, the term“channels” comprises transmission points, “virtual” repeaters, “virtual”boosters, and/or “virtual” translators. In an embodiment, thecommunication spectrum ranges from approximately 3 kHz to approximately300 GHz.

The computers 3410 comprise, by way of example, processors, programlogic, or other substrate configurations representing data andinstructions, which operate as described herein. In other embodiments,the processors 3410 can comprise controller circuitry, processorcircuitry, processors, general-purpose single-chip or multi-chipmicroprocessors, digital signal processors, embedded microprocessors,microcontrollers and the like.

In one embodiment, the program logic 3414 may advantageously beimplemented as one or more modules. The modules may advantageously beconfigured to execute on one or more processors. The modules maycomprise, but are not limited to, any of the following: software orhardware components such as software object-oriented softwarecomponents, class components and task components, processes methods,functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, segments of programcode, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuitry, data, databases, datastructures, tables, arrays, or variables.

The term “output” describes any type of results generated by the program3414 including conclusion or analysis information after calculationshave been completed. The output can include, but is not limited to,information displayed on the computer monitor 3420, information inputinto a database and/or spreadsheet program, information printed out fromthe printer 3422 as a report and/or readable by any machine and/orcomputer that can then take the information and perform furtheranalysis, and/or other information outputs generated by the program3414.

While certain embodiments of the inventions have been described, theseembodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are notintended to limit the scope of the inventions. Indeed, the novel methodsand systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of otherforms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, and changes in theform of the methods and systems described herein may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of the inventions. The accompanying claims andtheir equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications aswould fall within the scope and spirit of the inventions.

1. A computerized method of evaluating a radio transmitter, the methodcomprising: analyzing multiple alternative locations for a radiotransmitter within a region wherein the region is defined by a class ofa pair of radio transmitters and by an extended search area.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the region is defined by a pointcorresponding to an original location of the radio transmitter and aradius around the point comprising a minimum separation distance and anextended search distance.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the minimumseparation distance comprises the FCC rules section 73.207 minimumseparation distance.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein the extendedsearch distance comprises twice the 70 dBu maximum class distance. 5.The method of claim 2, wherein the extended search distance isuser-defined.
 6. The method of claim 2, wherein the extended searchdistance is defined by regulatory rules.
 7. The method of claim 2,further comprising determining the extended search distance, whereindetermining the extended search distance comprises: analyzing a fieldstrength over an original community of license for the radio transmitterat the alternative location, wherein the radio transmitter at theoriginal location is associated with the original community of license;and determining a first distance between the original location of theradio transmitter and the alternative location, while maintaining aminimum field strength level over the original community of license forthe radio transmitter at the alternative location, wherein the firstdistance comprises the extended search distance.
 8. The method of claim7, wherein the minimum field strength level is user-defined.
 9. Acomputerized apparatus of evaluating a radio transmitter, the apparatuscomprising: one or more processors configure to analyze multiplealternative locations for a radio transmitter within a region whereinthe region is defined by a class of a pair of radio transmitters and byan extended search area.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein theregion is defined by a point corresponding to an original location ofthe radio transmitter and a radius around the point comprising a minimumseparation distance and an extended search distance.
 11. The apparatusof claim 10, wherein the minimum separation distance comprises the FCCrules section 73.207 minimum separation distance.
 12. The apparatus ofclaim 10, wherein the extended search distance comprises twice the 70dBu maximum class distance.
 13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein theextended search distance is user-defined.
 14. The apparatus of claim 10,further comprising one or more processors configured to determine theextended search distance, wherein the one or more processors configuredto determine the extended search distance comprise: one or moreprocessors configured to analyze a field strength over an originalcommunity of license for the radio transmitter at the alternativelocation, wherein the radio transmitter at the original location isassociated with the original community of license; and one or moreprocessors configured to determine a first distance between the originallocation of the radio transmitter and the alternative location whilemaintaining a minimum field strength level over the original communityof license for the radio transmitter at the alternative location,wherein the first distance comprises the extended search distance. 15.The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the minimum field strength level isuser-defined.
 16. A computerized method of evaluating a communicationtransmission, the method comprising: analyzing multiple alternativelocations for a transmitter wherein the region is defined by a class ofa pair of transmitters and by an extended search area.
 17. The method ofclaim 16, wherein the region is defined by a point corresponding to anoriginal location of the transmitter and a radius around the pointcomprising a minimum separation distance and an extended searchdistance.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the minimum separationdistance comprises the FCC rules section 73.207 minimum separationdistance.
 19. The method of claim 17, further comprising determining theextended search distance, wherein determining the extended searchdistance comprises: analyzing a field strength over an originalcommunity of license for the transmitter at the alternative location,wherein the transmitter at the original location is associated with theoriginal community of license; and determining a first distance betweenthe original location of the transmitter and the alternative locationwhile maintaining a minimum field strength level over the originalcommunity of license for the transmitter at the alternative location,wherein the first distance comprises the extended search distance. 20.The method of claim 19, wherein the minimum field strength level isuser-defined.